The World of Events:

Events have the power to unite, inform and catalyse – and they can also be costly and complex to manage. The events landscape is changing in accordance with the shifting mood in business and the wider world.

Trends identified in an Eventbrite blog post predict that events in 2018 will become more experiential and more than just venue-based information-sharing:

“Clients are no longer satisfied to just sit their delegates in the conference room – they want an experience that their delegates will remember.”

This is most likely a reaction to tightening budgets, busier schedules and a need for clear value propositions that inspire visitors to purchase tickets. As with all marketing in 2018, the customer, whether a visitor or an exhibitor/sponsor, must see value before they will consider investing.

Although the way in which events are presented is shifting, the industry is still growing worldwide. Eventbrite’s 2018 Pulse Report identified that 69% of events holders saw competition being their main source of risk, suggesting a busy marketplace responding to demand.

Despite the bells and whistles now needed to draw an audience and stand out in a saturated crowd, the undeniable draw of events, particularly in the b2b world, is the people. Although new technological breakthroughs in business such as use of VR (virtual reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) mean we have less and less need to meet in person, the value of human interaction is undeniable.

We can read all we want online these days, but engaging with our peers and hearing first-hand experiences in a communal space remains to be incredibly inspiring. Social media provides a valuable platform to connect us globally in business; often, however, we still crave the authenticity and confidence that stems from speaking to someone face-to-face.

Whether securing a new partner, or wanting advice from an expert on a sensitive issue, or simply sharing best practices with like-minded individuals, the conversation flows best in person. When you factor in our busy schedules and the ability to meet large numbers of your colleagues and contacts in one sitting, attending or exhibiting at an event has a clear advantage.

Mauve Group takes part in an active programme of events yearly, and has noticed a strong move towards the experiential in the b2b world – take the star-studded keynotes at SHRM as one such example, or the beach party at this year’s EURA event in Croatia as another. As long as humans remain social animals, events will continue to be a popular way of doing business – provided they continue to evolve in line with business, digital and consumer trends.

Events we have coming up over the next few months include:

•  HR Summit 2018, Singapore – May 9-10

• Going Global, London – May 16-17

• Interaction Forum, Washington D.C, USA – June 12-14

• SHRM, Chicago, USA – July 17-20

• Humentum Annual Conference, Washington D.C., USA – July 25-27

If you would like to organise a meeting with our global experts at an event, get in touch via the Contact Form. We’d love to meet you!